Where are you from?
I am originally from Rockford, Illinois.
What is one thing about yourself that you want everyone to know?
One thing that is important about me is that I am very passionate about food and if I didn’t pursue music as a career, I would love to be a food critic.
A link to something about you (website, video, post, etc.)
This is a percussion ensemble arrangement my friend Justin Leggero created of the Tigran Hamasyan tune “Vardavar” that I performed on and recorded! This song gets stuck in my head all of the time.
What are you up to these days?
Recently I completed my Master’s Degree in recording arts technology from NIU. I just moved to Chicago full time and I look forward to settling in and beginning my career here!
When did you intern with TCP?
I was an intern with TCP in Summer 2021!
How did you connect with TCP?
I had been a fan of the group for a couple of years (my favorite album is Fields) and I found an album that my undergraduate professor, Dr. Greg Beyer, had collaborated with TCP on as a performer- specifically the John Cage Works for Percussion vol. 2 album from 2012. As a lover of chamber ensembles and new music, I reached out to Sean through email about an internship largely because I wanted to see what it looked like to perform music full time as a career.
Did you gain anything from the internship that you’d like to share?
When I was an intern with TCP, I feel like I had the opportunity to have all of the guys in the quartet, as well as the other TCP staff, be role models for myself since each person had a music degree that they utilized in a different way. This made me see that there are lots of opportunities for a career in music rather than the scope I had originally thought. Working with Colin to help prepare for a video recording in the TCP studio and watching him record audio for that session was inspiring to me as well. This was an instance when I realized that I enjoyed working “behind the scenes” equally as much as being in the spotlight as a performer and was a turning point in my decision to study recording arts for my graduate studies.
What else did you do while you were interning?
My role as an intern was a hybrid position, so I completed a significant amount of work remotely for TCP. I remember that I helped create a Soundcloud page for one of TCP’s educational projects called Making Waves. I also compiled demographic information of donors in a number of charts and graphs for TCP to present to its executive board for an annual meeting. There were lots of small office tasks that I was able to be helpful with as well, such as proofreading documents or helping organize spreadsheets of concert venues and contact information. When I was able to, I also helped move instruments and gear for performances within Chicago.
Did you leave a legacy or mark on the organization that you’re particularly proud of?
I believe that more than anything, I made the lives of each of the TCP members and staff a little bit easier by completing lots of the remote tasks that I did! Getting to know everyone at TCP was a great experience and the professional relationships that I got out of this internship made a lasting impact on myself.
Favorite memory?
My favorite memory would have to be sitting in and observing TCP in a recording session that they had at their studio space with Four/Ten Media. During this day I got to meet Evan Chapman, one of the founders of Four/Ten and a well known percussionist/composer that I admire very much. The kindness of this interaction meant a lot to me and I loved being a fly on the wall in the studio that day.
A GIF or YouTube link that sums up your experience with TCP?
If you were a cartoon character, who would you be?
Personally, I really identify with Chowder.
A funny or embarrassing story from the internship?
It’s not really a funny story, but rather something I didn’t foresee myself doing for the internship. One of the days I attended in person I went on a Home Depot run to get some supplies to construct sandbags for the production set of a recording about to happen in the TCP studio space. I also helped adjust several of the lights in the studio space with Colin in preparation for this video shoot. Both of these things felt insignificant at the time but made a big difference to the overall production of this video shoot that I attended later on.
Our interns can experience every part of TCP’s organization, from visiting recording sessions to writing grants and everything in between. We accept interns almost year-round. If you’re interesting in learning more about an internship with Third Coast, please contact Sean Connors at [email protected].